Bulgarian Orthodox Church controversies deepen

23/12/2011 Officials from the National Revenue Agency will begin interviews and checks of financial records in January to follow up allegations that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church owes huge sums in unpaid social security contributions and to clarify what the church has been doing with its state subsidies. This is among the latest developments as the church is caught up in controversies ranging from questions about its finances to the row about senior clergy being checked by the Dossier Commission for affiliations to communist-era State Security and to Varna Metropolitan Kiril’s new car. The church is given about 2.5 million leva (about 1.25 million euro) a year in state subsidies